Sept. 21, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State head track and field coach Elvis Forde announced the recent hiring of Jeff Bovee as the head cross country coach and assistant track and field coach.
"Jeff knows what it takes to be successful at the Division I level," said Forde. "He has built solid college and junior college programs at his previous coaching stops as well as being a Division I student-athlete himself. Jeff's level of knowledge and expertise in the field of science is pretty special too. He understands the principles of training in the distance events and I think he will help us tremendously."
Bovee comes to Illinois State after serving as the men's and women's head cross country coach and assistant track coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa, for the past four seasons. During his tenure, Bovee coached five NCAA Division III All-Americans in track, one cross country all-American, as well as eight NCAA Championships qualifiers.
At Central College, he also coached runners that earned United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division III all-region honors five times. In addition to coaching at Central, Bovee gained experience as an exercise science instructor, where he worked with students to implement hands-on teaching techniques for elementary education majors.
Prior to coaching at Central College, Bovee was the head track and field and cross country coach at Parkland Junior College, in Champaign, Ill., from 1996-2000. Bovee guided the men's and women's track and field and cross country teams to 12 regional titles that placed in the NJCAA top five in cross country and the top 15 in track and field during his final two seasons. Over 30of Bovee's student-athletes earned junior college all-American status and 15 were named to the academic all-American team.
His successful tenure at Parkland also included coaching the NJCAA Cross Country National Champion in 1999. Bovee also was a physical education instructor at Parkland, teaching courses on volleyball and weight training.
Bovee is ecstatic to be coming to Illinois State because of the challenges of the position and the ties his family has to the area.
"I'm excited to be joining the staff," said Bovee. "I'm also excited for the great opportunities this position brings. It's exciting to join a program that had a tremendous amount of success in the past and to work to bring it back. It's also a great opportunity for my family. We feel like we are coming home."
A native of Glendale, Ariz., Bovee received a B.S. in physical education from Arizona in 1993, where he competed as a student-athlete in track and field and cross country. Bovee was a co-captain of the track and field team for two seasons, and was a Pac-10 Conference placewinner in the 800-meters in track and a NCAA national meet participant in cross country.
Bovee received his masters degree in physical education from Eastern Illinois in 1996, while he worked with the men's and women's track and field programs as graduate assistant from 1995-96.
Bovee, who replaces former ISU assistant Chris Bailey, holds a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Level I certification in coaching and officiating. He also is a member of the American Alliance for Health Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), USTFCCCA, and Iowa Association of Track Coaches. Currently, Bovee is working towards a doctoral degree of philosophy in pedagogical kinesiology at the University of Illinois.
